It’s really easy to flippantly disregard the progress Manchester City have made this year, they have after all spent a lot of money on improving their squad and diversifying their attacking options. There is, however, a very clear difference between simply adding to the talent-pool and becoming a better side.

Manuel Pellegrini arrived in England with a well-deserved reputation for attacking football, and the assumption was that he would take the side left by Roberto Mancini, rid it of its negative aesthetic, and give it an extra offensive dimension.

I don’t think anybody expected him to do it this quickly, though.

When a new manager joins a club, he can sign as many players as he likes but unless the squad as a whole buy into his philosophy he will never get the chance to build a side in his own image. Whilst Pellegrini’s time in England has been aided by the addition of Fernandinho, Alvaro Negredo, and Jesus Navas - all of whom have not only provided positionally upgrades but allowed existing players to flourish - that only really accounts for half of his success. To get a squad of famous and successful players to immediately - and successfully - change their on-pitch habits is incredibly difficult, and City’s success this season speaks volumes not only about Pellegrini’s attacking acumen but also his man-management ability.

This quiet Chilean has quite an emotional hold over his players, so don’t just dismiss his side’s progress as being a product of Sheik Mansour’s chequebook.